How to Authenticate Web, Mobile, and Desktop Applications Safely with OAuth

When computing devices were first introduced their massive sizes could occupy an entire room. Their memory couldn’t even hold much more than the equivalent of a few modern text messages. It took many decades before personal computers were finally introduced to every household, and it took many years of adjustments to familiarize ourselves with its technicalities. Many years have passed, and it has now become one of our major necessities. Most of us use computers and mobile devices in our daily lives, at home or work. It is just right that security is our topmost priority because we certainly don’t want our private information to be compromised.

We only had the idea of securing our computer when a computer was being shared with other people. It changed dramatically when networking and the internet appeared. Today, applications are now distributed. A full application might consist of a desktop Windows application, a web application where reports can be provided to a wider audience, and it might also consist of a mobile application that receives notifications. In addition to this, Servers are also now being distributed. There might be a specific server that is built where the users just respond to the mobile application.

How to Protect Your Information?

In this video from the recently concluded Coding Bootcamp 2023, Wagner Landgraf will discuss a solution that is widely adopted today. He will walk us through details about OAuth and how exactly it works. Open Authorization or simply OAuth is an open standard for access delegation, commonly used as a way for internet users to grant websites or applications access to their information on other websites but without giving them the passwords.

Nearly every app will need to associate some private data with a single person. These apps might ask you to log in using your username and password. This old method of authentication, however, can be risky and it could also compromise your privacy. This is where OAuth comes into play. You might have encountered a website that will ask you to log in using your Facebook or Google Account. That is OAuth in action!

Introducing TMS Sphinx

For developers, specifically those who are using Delphi for Windows application development or even mobile or web applications, they can incorporate or take advantage of the OAuth using a third-party library like TMS Sphinx by the TMS Software. Generally, it is a library that provides you with OAuth CLient and Server capabilities. It is a way for you to create single sign-on servers with Delphi using all-out standards. In this video, Wagner will provide us with some demos showcasing how this TMS Sphinx library works and how Delphi users can benefit from its easy-to-use features.

The video also concludes with a Q & A session with Wagner and Ian Barker. Feel free to watch the video below to learn more.